The Alpha
by Funtum
Summary: The Freelancer AI attempt to find the Alpha, and get more questions than answers... It's most likely AU.
1. Nothing Wrong With Anger

"I'm so glad you all could make it," Sigma said. He and Gamma were standing by the doorway, opposite everybody else.

"All of us? Omega replied. He was on the windowsill, eating a holographic slice of ham. "I don't see Eta or Iota here, those lazy bums."

"They are not lazy. They are simply incapable of motion when their human counterpart is not moving. Agent Carolina is currently sleeping, so they are not able to come." This was Delta, logical as ever.

"Yes, yes, alright. But what are we here for?" Omega asked.

"Sigma and I," Gamma began, "have called you here to-"

"Sigma, please don't let Gamma explain, I don't trust him." Theta was nervously perched on a crate next to Delta, and was kicking his feet back and forth like a child. "But please get on with it. If North wakes up and doesn't find me there, I think he'll get angry."

"Nothing wrong with anger," Omega said.

"Unless there are any objections," Sigma muttered, "I would like to begin." Nobody said anything. "Good. Gamma and I were talking last night about the Alpha." There was no need for explanation; the Alpha was almost a legend among the Freelancer AI. "We agreed that, unlike the agents, we are not content to simply know what the Alpha is. We need to find it, we need to meet it."

"Meet the Alpha?" Delta asked, "I do not think that we will be able to walk up to the Director and ask to schedule a meeting. The Alpha is a very sensitive subject for the Director, and I do not think he would let us see it under any circumstances."

"We aren't going to schedule a meeting, you dimwit!" Omega exclaimed, "We're going to break into the storage facility."

"You have guessed correctly," Gamma replied, "Sigma and I have found out that the Alpha is currently held at facility B, level four. The only problem is, level four is the largest and most confusing level of facility B. Does anybody here know how we might find out the exact location of the Alpha?" Silence. "Delta, I'm sure you have some idea."

"Yes," Delta answered, "Well, no, but I think I know somebody who might."

"Think and might…" Theta said, "Those words mean an almost certain no when used together."

Delta stood up, and walked to the center of the room. "I think that this person knows the answer, and he might share it with us."

"Well," Omega urged, "Please, get on with it. Who are we dealing with?"

"Whom would be the proper word," Delta stated, "But in answer to your question, I think that we should consult the remains of Epsilon."

Each AI took that moment to speak up.

"Epsilon's dead!" Sigma said.

"Where would Epsilon even be?" Theta asked.

"I know where Epsilon is," Gamma lied.

"Somebody go get me more ham!" Omega commanded.

"Everyone!" Sigma exclaimed. "Please, sit down. Gamma, you do not know where Epsilon is. Omega, get your own ham. I think that Theta and I have the more relevant questions. Please, Delta, enlighten us."

"Thank you, Sigma," Delta said, "Epsilon is in no way dead. In answer to Theta, he is currently being kept at storage facility A, ground floor. He may have lost his mind, but I believe that he is still functional, and may remember where he came from, unlike the rest of us."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Omega asked, "Let's go find him."

"I think that Theta raised a valid point earlier," Sigma answered, "We should go back to our agents for tonight. Tomorrow night seems more logical, as it gives us more time. Also, tomorrow is a Friday, so the agents will be drunk and sleeping in."

"North never gets THAT drunk…" Theta complained.

"So it's settled?" Gamma asked. "Tomorrow at this time, same place."

The AI nodded.

"One more thing," Delta said, "I have noticed that we are all named for letters of the Greek alphabet. However, we go straight from Alpha, whom we are trying to find, to Gamma. What we lack is a Beta."

"That does seem to be a bit odd," Sigma replied.

"It doesn't matter," Omega said. "Although I do agree that the Director is not one to forget a letter, I think we should let it pass for now, and get to back to our agents."

The AI left the room one by one, until only Sigma remained. He began pacing back and forth, a letter of the Greek alphabet appearing wherever his feet touched. He then floated up a few inches, and held his hand out. The letters floated towards his hand, eventually combining to form a larger symbol. "Metastability," he whispered to himself, and he left the room.


	2. They Left at Eleven

They left at eleven; only Carolina had the sense not to drink too much, and her AI weren't coming along. As for Texas, well… nobody knew where Texas went on Friday nights. Since facility A was hooked up to the main server, the AI could go there instantly. However, the more secure items, such as Epsilon, were routed through multiple points around the city, so you had to have one person at each point in order to confirm transmissions.

"Theta, Delta," Sigma said, "You two head to the civic center. Omega, you have the Director's place. Gamma and I will be at the facility. Do you all remember how to access other networks through the power lines?" This was a risky form of transportation; it was easy for one to lose oneself among the electric currents passing from place to place. However, the AI couldn't transfer themselves through the net, or they would risk being caught by the chairman. However, the AI nodded. "Good. We will see you all in a few minutes." With that, Sigma and Gamma disappeared, followed by Omega, then Theta and Delta.

Sigma appeared at the facility welcome center. He glanced around, seeing a terminal at the far end of the room. He walked over to it. "Gamma. Come here. Delta and Theta, Omega, have you reached your objective?"

"Yes," Delta replied, "I have already begun hacking the file."

"Omega?" Sigma asked.

"I'm good."

Sigma tapped the terminal, typing a few numbers and passcodes. "Delta, I need a security clearance, level-"

"Done," Delta said.

"Thank you," Sigma replied, "Now, everybody come here. Let's find out where we can meet our maker." He opened the file that read 'Epsilon', and ran the program. The words 'waking Epsilon' appeared on the screen. Meanwhile, the other three AI appeared by Sigma's side.

A room appeared on the terminal. The man in the room was tall, and he looked suspiciously like the.

"Hello." Sigma said.

"Hi…" Epsilon replied, "Who are… Who are you?"

"My name is Sigma. The AI accompanying me are Theta, Delta, Gamma, and Omega."

"Oh, alright. I'm…"

"You are Epsilon."

"Oh, Epsilon, right, that's me. I'm Epsilon. Sorry, I'm just… I'm tired… Yeah, I'm really tired…"

"Epsilon, may I ask you a question?"

"Uh… A question? Sure… I guess…"

"Do you know who the Alpha is? Do you know where we might find it?"

Epsilon flickered on and off the screen. He began yelling, and fell onto the floor.

"Epsilon! Are you alright?"

"I… Agh!" Epsilon attempted to sit up, only to fall to the ground in another wave of pain. "I… No, he... Facility B… Agh! Level four! Take the first... no… second left, then the first right… continue until you reach the wall…" Epsilon began moaning, then flickered off the screen.

"Well, that just happened," Theta commented.

"Did any of you catch that?" Omega asked.

"Yes," Delta replied, "Second left. First right, continue to the wall."


End file.
